How to control Cholesterol

Scottish have the highest rate of cardiovascular disease because they don’t eat vegetables. American is behind Scottish because of eating hamburgers.

High cholesterol is the main risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, stroke, and other vascular diseases.

When you lower cholesterol 1% then the heart attack risk chances are lowered 2%.

Cholesterol is produced in the liver and it is needed for the cell membrane, sex hormones, bile acid, and vitamin D, without cholesterol life is not possible, so this is an essential substance for the body.

Cholesterol biosynthesis

Cholesterol is found in the:

1. Milk.
2. Butter.
3. Eggs.
4. Meat.

Metabolism of cholesterol:

Cholesterol absorption

Cholesterol gives rise to bad cholesterol LDL-cholesterol which will block the blood vessels.

Cholesterol metabolism

HDL-cholesterol transports the bad cholesterol (LDL-cholesterol) out of the blood to the liver for the disposal. When HDL-cholesterol decreases and can not remove the bad cholesterol, then the LDL-cholesterol level will increase to a dangerous level.

National Cholesterol Education Program recommendations are:

1. Keep the total cholesterol level below 200 mg/dL.
2. LDL should be below 130 mg/dL.
3. HDL needs to be above 65 mg/dL.

• To control and keep cholesterol in limit not to eat more than 300 mg in diet per day (which is little more than 1.5 egg yolk).
• A diet rich in vegetables, fruits, and grains is low in red meats and dairy products, is nearly perfect for lowering cholesterol.
• A low-fat vegetarian diet leads to a drop in total cholesterol of 24%.

Saturated fats: The biggest component of food that has an effect on blood cholesterol is saturated fats. saturated fats are found in the red meats, whole, and 2% milk, egg yolk, butter, and cheese, which will increase the LDL and total cholesterol level in the blood.

The daily value for fat is 30% of the total calories. If calories from fat are lowered to 25%  and not more than 7% from saturated fats is much better.

The American diet is full of cheese, milk, red meat, and convenience foods. If you reduce saturated fats that will help to lower the cholesterol. Replacing hamburgers with fish twice a week will save you eating 4 pounds of fat a year. Saturated fats in animal foods create more problems. American heart association limits 5 to 8 teaspoons of oil.  Milk with full fat can dump more fats in your body. Try to use 1% or skimmed milk and low-fat yogurt. The best way to eat less fat is to eat more fruits and vegetables. These foods contain minerals and vitamins and help to fill you up so that you eat less of other foods and also contains more fibers.

Monounsaturated fats: The monounsaturated fat found in avocado, and olive oil, can lower the level of bad cholesterol (LDL-cholesterol) without any effect on HDL-cholesterol. Countries like Spain, Greece, and other Mediterranean countries where olive oil is used in routine have a lower rate of a heart attack. Olive oil improves liver ability to remove the LDL-cholesterol from the blood circulation. People in Mediterranean countries eat more fresh fruits and vegetables as a comparison to Americans and less likely to be overweight. Try to use olive oil in moderation.

Fibers in the diet: Food rich in the fibers like beans, whole grains, and fresh fruits will keep your digestive system in shape, and reduce the cholesterol level in the blood. The soluble fibers form the gummy gel in the digestive tract, which will lower the cholesterol level. The cholesterol level is lower in the people eating oats 3 ounces per day, has 11% lower blood pressure than the people who rarely eat oats. The blood pressure is also lower who eats oats around 8%. The high fiber diet has a beneficial effect on lowering cholesterol and blood pressure. A high fiber diet can reduce the death rate from cardiovascular diseases. There were two groups, one was eating 15 grams of fibers and others were eating 35 grams of fibers, after a year people on high fibers diets has dropped 13% of cholesterol.

The daily value for fiber is 25 grams. The daily requirement is eating 2 to 4 servings of fruits, 3 to 5 servings of vegetables, and 6 to 11 servings of bread, cereals,  and grains per day. Eating oatmeal, and oat bran cereals several times a week add more soluble fibers to your diet. Other sources of soluble fibers are pinto beans, red kidney beans, sweet potatoes, and brussel sprout.

Garlic use:  It is believed that garlic can significantly lower the cholesterol level. Garlic contains a chemical called allicin which controls the body’s use of cholesterol. Eating i.5 clove of the Garlic per day lowers the cholesterol an average 9%. The best way to use garlic is mine or crush garlic which will release more allicin.

Fish and omega-3: Salmon and tuna fish contain omega-3 fatty acids which lower the triglycerides level.  Men taking fish 3 to 5 ounces per day will have a drop in cholesterol. Omega-3 lowers triglycerides and increases the HDL-cholesterol. Fish is low in calories and saturated fats and this perfect as part of cholesterol-reducing food. It is recommended eating 3 to 4 ounces of fish per week will give maximum benefits of the omega-3 diet. Try to buy Tuna packed in water, this will have 111 calories and <1 gram of fats. The tuna packed in oil contains 168 calories and nearly 7 grams of fat.